


Show Yourself

by BougainvilleaGirl



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Fluff, Gay Panic, Happy Ending, M/M, Movie: Frozen 2 (2019), Panic Attacks, Riku Angst (Kingdom Hearts), Soriku - Freeform, Wingwoman Kairi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:00:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24072574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BougainvilleaGirl/pseuds/BougainvilleaGirl
Summary: The Destiny Trio goes to watch Frozen 2 at the theater and angsty plot ensues.
Relationships: Kairi & Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 31





	Show Yourself

It's a surprisingly chilly night on the mainland of Destiny islands. Riku, Sora, and Kairi are waiting in line to get tickets for Frozen 2. Sora has always dragged Riku and Kairi to watch every Disney movie, so of course Frozen 2 would be no exception. Riku should be at home working on his ten page history paper that he hasn't started yet, but instead thinks that's for Riku of tomorrow to worry about. He'll have all of Saturday and Sunday to work on it at least. Riku tried to get out of going, but in the end he just couldn't say no to Sora's pouty face. Kairi kept pestering him to go too, so he really didn't have a choice. 

The group in front of them soon moves out of the way, which snaps Riku out of his thoughts. He moves up to the window to order the tickets. Sora and Kairi protest when he reaches into his wallet to pay, causing him to chuckle a little and say, "You guys can get the snacks. How about that?" The two share a skeptical look and then focus back on Riku before begrudgingly agreeing.

The moment they step foot inside the movie theater lobby, the smell of buttery popcorn assaults their nostrils. Sora instantly says, "God, why does it have to smell sooo good in here!?! You guys want to share a large popcorn?" Kairi and Riku snicker and nod in agreement. A pleased grin pops up on Sora's face before he turns to get in line. Sora buys the popcorn and drinks, while Kairi gets the candy. Sora has always had a sweet tooth for paopu fruit gummies. Kairi usually chooses something with white chocolate. Riku on the other hand, loved sour candies.

A fond childhood memory pops into Riku's head when he sees the candy Kairi is getting him. He once got dared by Sora to shove as many Sour-X hard candies as he could in his mouth at once. Riku was able to fit 13 of the candies before his tongue started to bleed from the acidity overload. He still remembers the pale, terrified look on Sora's face as he cried for his mother. As soon as Sora's mom rounded the corner to the living room, her eyes widened at the sight of Riku's tongue dripping blood and asked in a panic laced voice, "What happened here?!" Riku was a bit in shock as he held up his cupped hands that were holding the spit out hard candies covered in blood. Sora quickly explained and then his mom ushered them off to the bathroom to try and wash away the blood. Sora had the idea of putting ice on it to stop the bleeding, to which his mom agreed. Sora ran to the kitchen and came back with a cup of ice. The bleeding stopped soon after Riku applied the ice, thankfully. Sora's mom was starting to worry she would have to take him to the emergency room. She spoke up, "Riku honey, I'm going to call your mom to let her know what happened. She might want to pick you up." She left to the kitchen to use the phone, leaving Riku on the bathroom counter, ice on tongue, and a very sad Sora sitting on the ledge of the shower, staring at the floor. Riku spoke up awkwardly with the ice still on his tongue, "So'a, wat's w'ong?" Sora looked up with wobbly lips and teary eyes that threatened to spill out at any second as he said with a slight stutter, "I-i'm so s-sorry Ri-iku!" The tears started to spill over, which led to full on sobbing. Riku deemed that his tongue would be fine without the ice, so he dropped it back into the cup and pulled a shaking Sora into a tight hug. Sora buried his head into Riku's chest and struggled to say between sobs, "I-i didn't *sob* wa-ant *sob* you to-o get *sob* hu-urt!" Riku pet the back of Sora's head as he tried to comfort him, "Shhh, Sora, I know you didn't. It's okay. I'm talking, aren't I? Everything is okay. I promise." It took a few more minutes of comforting words and head pets, but Sora eventually calmed down.

Riku was brought out of his thoughts by Sora, who was waving his free hand in front of Riku's face, saying, "Earth to Riku?" Kairi was smiling just behind Sora with a knowing look in her eyes, which made Riku fidget with his jacket as he apologized.

They walked into theater 8, snacks in hand, and settled near the top left. Kairi sat closer to the center of the isle, then Sora, and then Riku at the end of the isle. It's a good thing Kairi convinced them to leave a little earlier than they originally planned because within 10 minutes, the theater was packed. Within another 10 minutes the lights dimmed and the trailers started to play.

Riku glanced at Sora from the corner of his eyes as the movie started and tried hard to suppress a huge, goofy grin. Sora was staring wide eyed at the screen while shoveling popcorn into his face. A few pieces miss his mouth, but he doesn't seem to notice. What a dork, Riku thought.

Riku was enjoying the movie until the second musical number, Into the Unknown, started to play. It's Sora's fault really. After the three of them saw the first Frozen movie years ago, Sora had compared Riku to Elsa. Since then, Riku can't help but find similarities between himself and Elsa: similar mannerisms, coping mechanisms, feeling afraid to show who they really are, feeling different and therefore isolated... This song called out to Riku. It confronted him with something he'd rather bury deep down and ignore, behavior that Kairi often disapproved of. Riku's feelings for Sora are his 'unknown' and boy does he long to go. Riku wishes he could just tell Sora how he feels, but his body tenses up at the mere thought alone. He knows Sora is straight, so it'd be useless to tell him. It'd just make things complicated at best and could completely ruin their relationship at worst. It's definitely a risk, one with no possibility of a reward. He's content enough with the way things are now though, being Sora's best friend. After the musical number finishes, a pit settles in Riku's stomach.

The song that really triggers Riku is Show Yourself. He feels like Idina Menzel is singing directly to him in some parts. Like she's telling him it's okay to have these feelings, that it's okay to be gay, and that he doesn't need to hide it anymore. Her powerful voice chills him to the bone. Before the end of the song, Riku is teary eyed and on the verge of a panic attack, so he has to leave and fast. He rests his tray of popcorn on the floor and bolts down the stairs. The tears start leaking out before he makes it to the bottom of the stairs. As he exits theater room 8, he faintly hears Elsa belting 'I am found!'

Riku made it to a bathroom stall and locked himself in. He realizes that he's hyperventilating at this point. He slowly closes his eyes, puts one hand on the cold tile of the wall, puts the other hand over his chest, and focuses on his breathing. A minute passes and he's slowed his breathing, though his breaths are still coming in a bit shallow. The panic is slowly leaving him, that is until the door to the men's room opens. The worried words that echo into the room immediately after cause the panic to flood back in, "Riku? Are you in here?" Riku holds his breath out of fear and embarrassment. The voice belongs to Sora. Riku's mind races with thoughts like: 'Why is he here and not watching the movie? Maybe if I keep quiet he'll give up and leave? Yeah, right. I'm so screwed! Fuck!'

Sora's voice rings out, capturing Riku's attention, "Riku, I know you're in there. Are you okay? What's wrong?" Riku clenches his jaw and tries his best to stop breathing like he's just finished racing Sora on the beach. He manages to force out in a surprisingly calm tone, "I'm okay Sora. Go back to the movie. I'll go back in a minute." Sora replies back in an uncertain tone, "You don't sound okay. Why did you leave in a rush all of a sudden? I told Kai I'd come get you, so I'm not going back empty handed." Riku rolls his eyes in annoyance when Sora mentions Kairi. She could have totally covered for him instead of sending Sora after him. Damnit Kairi! Riku wipes his eyes and searches his brain for an excuse out of this, but his brain fails him. He can't think of a single good excuse for Sora to believe, despite the fact that Sora is a bit gullible. Riku knows what he has to do but is terrified of the unknown that lies ahead. Would it be possible for them to remain friends once it was revealed why Riku was having a panic attack in the bathroom stall right now? Sora speaks again in more of a comforting tone this time, "Riku, you can talk to me, ya know? Whatever it is. I'll always be here for you. I don't know when you started to close yourself off from me, or why, but I'm sorry and I'm here regardless." The last sentence was said in such a low and somber tone it yanked violently at Riku's heart strings. Riku's eyes might as well be faucets at this point, despite his efforts to hold it in. He wants nothing more than to open the stall door and hug Sora, to cry into his shoulder, and be told everything's going to be okay. He refuses to open the door though. Fear blocks him, paralyzes him, suffocates him.

Riku hears shuffling just outside his stall door and next thing he knows Sora is crawling under the door to come in. Riku's heart stops for a second. Within no time at all, Sora is standing in front of a sobbing but shocked Riku, who tries to back up but fails due to the confined space. Riku's face is dusted red, due to embarrassment. He won't look at Sora now as a few tears are still leaking out. They stand like this for what feels like forever to Riku, but in actuality is mere seconds, until Sora gently pulls him into a hug. Riku tenses up immediately and resists the urge to hug Sora back. When was the last time he hugged Sora? Riku couldn't remember. Maybe last New Years? Sora began to pet his head, while quietly saying, "You're okay Riku. You're safe. I'm here. Everything's okay now. You can let it out." With that last sentence, Riku grabbed on tightly to Sora, buried his face into the crook of his friend's neck, and cried so hard he felt like he couldn't breathe again. Sora clutched him tighter and continued the head pets and comforting words.

After a few minutes Riku mostly calmed down. He lifted his head a bit and felt bad for getting tears and boogies all over his friends neck. Riku pulled the sleeve of his jacket up with one hand and wiped Sora's neck as he sniffled out, "Sorry." Riku wasn't expecting the reaction that came next from Sora. He shivered under the touch of Riku's sleeve on his neck, slightly tightened his grip around Riku's waist, and whispered out a shaky, "It's okay." Something stirs in Riku's chest that he knows shouldn't. He knows he's getting his hopes up for no reason. With that in mind, Riku goes to pull away from Sora but is stopped. Sora won't let go and instead says barely above a whisper, "Wait, can we please stay like this just for a little longer..." Riku, feeling a bit surprised, obliges and goes back to hugging Sora. The butterflies in Riku's stomach won't stop squirming. He knows his face is probably bright red right now and can feel his heart racing. Suddenly confused, Riku notices that it's not just his heart that is racing.

After a minute or so of their hearts jackhammering in their chests, Sora tightens his grip again and asks nervously, "Riku… be honest with me. Do you like me?" Riku's heart stops again from the straightforward question. He panics, thinking: 'Shit, he knows! I've been caught. It's all over now... Might as well fess up.' Riku answers very quietly, like a little boy ready to be scolded, "Yeah. Was it that obvious or did Kairi tell you?" Sora makes a happy hum sound before replying, "A little of both. She didn't tell me out right, just steered me to figure it out for myself. I honestly might have stayed oblivious if she hadn't hinted. I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kind of clueless sometimes." Sora snorts out a rumble of laughter, and for a split second Riku isn't sure how he should react but quickly joins in on the laughter. Sora's laugh is just way too damn contagious.

Once their laughter finally dies down, Sora pulls away from their embrace with a deep blush across his cheeks and then does something Riku wouldn't have predicted in a million, bazillion years. Sora cups Riku's face with one hand and goes in for a kiss. Too shocked to process what is going on at first, Riku blinks confusedly and then instead closes his eyes to focus on the kiss. He has no idea what to do, being that this is his first kiss. Sora must sense that he's lost because he pulls away just then. Riku's eyes open slowly to reveal a blushing but grinning Sora staring at him. Sora asks, "So how long have you liked me?" Riku swallows the lump in his throat and looks down shyly, "Hmmm… I think I've always liked you. I didn't figure it out though until you and Kairi dated for that week last year." Riku looks up nervously and sees a kind, admiring smile. Sora responds back, "Wow, you knew for a long time. I think I've always liked you too, but I didn't realize until last month, when Kairi hinted something and I thought hard about it... If you knew for so long, why didn't you say anything?" Riku can't believe what he is hearing, Sora just told him he likes him. These are words he's dreamed of hearing for so long. A thought briefly crosses his mind before he dismisses it, what if he's actually just dreaming right now? Riku replies thoughtfully, "Well… I was really afraid, like terrified. I didn't want to make things weird or ruin them. You mean too much to me, Sora. I was like 98% sure you didn't feel the same way... If you've known for a month, why didn't you say anything?" Sora seems genuinely surprised by Riku's answer. With a huge grin, Sora casually says "Awwwee Riku, you are such a cutie! I didn't say anything because Kai told me it would be best for me to wait for you to tell me." It clicks in Riku's head. Kairi had been particularly pushy and bossy about him confessing over the past month. He'd wondered why. Riku chuckles and says, "Kairi is a sneaky bastard. I love that girl." Sora smirks in response. Riku suddenly remembers where they are and says, "Oh hey, we left Kairi alone in the theater. We should go back. We can probably still catch the ending." Recognition dawns over Sora's face and elicits a nod in agreement. As Riku unlatches the stall, so they can leave, Sora gives Riku a quick kiss on the cheek. Riku smiles shyly at Sora, who has the warmest and kindest smile plastered on his face. Sora grabs Riku's hand and starts to lead them back to theater 8.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is my first fan fic, so please go easy on me. Thank you for kudos or comments. 
> 
> I just want to say the bloody tongue thing is based off the time I ate a whole box of sweet tarts and my tongue was literally dripping blood. My roommates were so freaked out haha.


End file.
